Hand-operated mowing machine



S ept. s, 1925.

G. M. AURELE HAND OPERATED MOWING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1922 Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES ononan MARC Acacias, or MERIDEN, co'nnncrlcori HAND-OPERATED MOWING MACHINE.

Application filed May 29, 1822. Serial No. 564,472..

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, GEORGE MARC AURELE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Meriden, county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Operated Mowing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mowing machines, and more particularly to a machine for cutting hay, wheat, oats, etc., in places which are inaccessible to the ordinary horse-driven or motor-driven machines.

One object of this invention is to provide a manually operated mowing machine driven by a single traction wheel having opposed cam-tracks for operating a pair of levers adapted to reciprocateia pair of cutter blades.

A further object is to provide a mowing machine having improvedfmeans for'resiliently holding the reciprocatory cutting blades in yieldable contact with one another.

A further object is to provide a mowing machine :having a pair of opposed vertical cam-tracks-mounted on opposite sides of a traction wheel and arranged to vibrate a pair of levers mounted on spaced pivotsfor simultaneously reciprocating in opposite directions a pair of cutter blades.

A further object is to provide a manually operated mowing machine manipulated by a pair of handle bars which are pivoted to the frame of the machine, and which may be raised or lowered to any desired adjusted position.

' A further object is to provide a mowing machine of the above nature which will be simple, chea tomanufacture, easy to manipulate, an very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawings one form in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

- Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of the mowing machine, certain parts being broken away for clearness. I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one ofthe cam-tracks, together with the end of the lever engaged ther by. 1

Fig. 4 is a cutter blade.

Fig. 5 is a perspecti a view of the lower cutter blade.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view, with parts perspective view of the ,upper broken away, of the frame whichholds-the I cutter blade and supports the front wheels or, rollers.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view'o't' one of the spring tension members for resilientlyholding. the cutter blades in contact with one another. I p

Referring now'to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numerals l0 and 11 represent the side members of the inclined frame of the machines The members 10 and 11 are preferably constructed of wood or other similar material and have hinged thereto, at their upper ends, a pair of adjustable. handle bars 12 and 13. The handle bars 12 and 13 are adapted-to be e'evated and frame by means of a bolt 14; having nuts 15, 16, 17 threaded thereon, saidzbolts passing through a pair of cross bars- 17 and IY QCOII- necting the handle bars 12 and .13 and the side members 10 and 11 respectively: The side members 10; and 11 preferably converge downwardly and are connected near their bottom ends by a pivot bar 18. Secured to the lower ends of the side members 10 and 11 is a base member 19 which is adapted tosupe port the front wheels or rollers 20 as Well as the cutter blades 21 and 22.

A traction Wheel 23 having a suitable metal tire 24 is journaled on the horizontal stationary axle 25, the latter being non-rotatably mounted in suitable collar members 26, 26, which are bolted or otherwise secured to the side members 10 and 11. The hub 27 of the traction wheel is adapted to rotate upon the axle 25, and is held fromslipping side-- wise thereon by means of the flanges 28, 28.

Concentrically arranged between the outer rim and hub of the traction wheel 23 are two pairs of opposed vertical caln-trackmembers 29 and 30. Each of the cam-track members 29 and 30 comprises a flat inner ring mem ber 31 andan outer ring 32, secured-to said fiatl ring 31 in'any suitable manner as by bolts. The flatring 31 is adapted to lie ad-- jacent the wheel in engagement with the spokes, and is provided with anouter dustexcluding flange 33'for preventing the access of dust or other injurious material. The rin 32 is Z-shaped and of only about one hal the'width of the flat ring 31.

The parallel vertical portions of the rings 31 and 32 adjacent the flange 33 are provided depressed withrespect to the 1 with an endless series of radial corrugations arranged in staggered relation 'to each other.

A roller 34 is provided in each cam-track and is pivotally mounted on a pin 35 secured to a down-turned extension 36 of a lever 37. The levers 37 which actuate the cutter blades 21 and 22 are pivoted on a pair of bolts 38 and 39 which pass through the cross bar 18 and are arranged at right-an- -will cause the levers 37 to vibrate about their pivots, the arrangement of I The cutter blades ing v shown in Fig. 1.

.55, the roller-supporting bar is provided 48 ada ted to fit gles thereto. These levers 37 have their lower ends forked, as at 40, to engage about ,studs 41 and 42 formed integral with the cutter blades 21 and 22' respectively. It will be evident from the above-description that. the

rotation of the drive-wheel, through the medium of thecam-track nembers 29 and rapidly the parts being such that the cutter blade 21 is always moving in a; direction opposite to that of the cutter blade 22. I a

21 and 22 are adapted er bar 43of the frame 19 and "are resilient y pressed. togetherv by means of a seriesofadjusting springbolts 44four in this instance. These spring bolts 44 are referably threaded into suitable tapped iioles 45' in the finger b ar 43, and are loosely fitted in a seriesof elongated slots 46 and 47 in the cutter blades 22 and 21 respectively. The upper cutter blade 21 is also provided with an additional slot loosely around the stud 42 of the ower cutter blac e. In order to more firmly to slideupon a vfin of said bolts are provided with heads 48. arranged to-seat against the lower surface of the finger bar. Each spring bolt 44 also has a spacing ring 49, a springbushing 50,. and a pair of split spring-thrust washers 51 and 52, mounted thereon. The spacing ring is adapted to slide in the slots 46 and 47. v

The bottom washer 52 is adapted to be ressed down upon the upper cutter bar 21 y a spiral spring '53-located on said bushbetween saidwashers 51 and '52.

The upper washer 51 is adapted to be held in position by means of a nut 54 screwed upon the threaded top of the bolt 44 as clearly shown in Fig. 7. i

As will be evident, the tension, of the spring 53 will hold the cutter bars 21 hid 22 constantly in contact with one another,

yet incase of accidental clogging by stones or other hard materials, the cutter members will yield sufficiently to preventserious damage or possible "breakage. j

The side rollers 20, previously mentioned, are carried on horizontal extremities 55 of a roller-supporting bar, as most clearly Adjoining the extremities with backwardly' extending'and upwardly inclined sections 56 arranged at right ansecure the spring bolts 44 tothe finger bar 43, the lower ends --gles to the portions,55 and terminating in the inwardly, directed horizontal portions 57, the latter being held within suitable apertures in the bottom of the side members :10 and 11 by an upper apron portion 58 of the base 19. The horizontal portions 57 are connected by a curved rear section 59, substantially semicircular in shape, which is itself secured to a lug 59 on the top of the apron portion58 by a bolt or other suitable fastening means. The apron portion 58 of the base is connected to the finger bar 43 by means of-a substantially vertical section 60, having anelongated slotdtll to receive the forward ends of the levers 37 immediately behind the forked ends 40- of said levers. Forwardly extendin guard fingers 62 are rovided at each si e of the finger bar 43. hese guard fingers 62 have notches 63 in their upper surfaces to receive the outer extremities 55 of the roller-supporting bar.

'In operation, when itis desired to cut the ha'f or other crop," a personv using the machine will grasp the two handles 12 and 13 in the manner of a wheel-barrow, an push the machine forward. The front rollers'20 merely ride over the ground at the sides of the cutters, while the large central traction wheel 23 by means of the cam- I tracks29 and 30 will give a vibratory motion to the levers 37 about their pivots 38 and 39,causing the lower forked ends of said levers 37 to oscillate the cutter bars 21 and 22; I

' It will thus beseen that a simple form of hand-operated mowing machine has been provided which is positive in operation, which has no complicated system of gear ing, and which can be pushed over the ground with the minimum amount of effort, without requiring the person operating-it to bend over.

\Vhile th re specification one form in which the inven tion may be embodied, it is to be understood that'this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only,'and that theinvention is H not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms ."i' liout departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all i'1e modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is: In a mowingmachine, a frame, a traction drive wheel mounted in said frame, a pair of cooperating reciprocatory cutter blades mounted adjacent the ground at theforward end of said frame, a-pair of levers pivoted in said frame and connected to said cutter blades, said drive wheel havingon each outer face a hat annular late rovided with a sinuous cam track, eac

of said plates has been disclosed in this I. i

having an overhanging angular.

said ring hav ng a cured thereto, camrtra'ck cooper of said flat plate,

ring sesinuous ating with the cam track an opening being left between the peripheries of said plate and ring,

the edge of said dust-excluding fia ing said opening,

flat plate having a lateral nge 'for substantially closone of said levers'having its free end'jofiset and disposed between said 0am tracks, whereby it will be vibrated by in the rotation of said drive wheel and will reciprocate one of said cutter blades.

In testimony whereof, I have'aflixed my signature to this specification.

GEORGE MARC AURELE 

